The Crimson Gym Chronicles
by Joseph Ehlle
Summary: These are short stories which take place after Journey to Destiny, written from 2002 through 2003, about various happenings in Joe's and May's lives after opening the Crimson Town Gym.  I HIGHLY recommend that you read JTD completely before you read these
1. Introduction

Introduction: It's been 5 years since Joseph Ehlle and his Vulpix, Flamefox, began their "Journey to Destiny". A lot has happened since, and now, Joseph has finally achieved his dream of opening his own gym in his home town of Crimson Town! Going into this venture with him is his good friend, May Redfield, who opened a breeding center onto the back of the gym, and behind the gym/breeding center is their Pokemon Sanctuary, a vast, natural area for all of their Pokemon to live on and enjoy. These are some assorted stories of their lives...


	2. Mickey Meets Her Match

"Mickey Meets Her Match"

(Note: This story takes place several weeks before the "Hot Matches" episode of "The Johto Journeys")

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Crimson Town as I sat behind my desk in my office at Crimson Gym, with my feet propped up on the desk, reading the latest issue of "Pokemon Times". Flamefox slept, curled up, on the desk, and Firestorm slept on the floor nearby. It had been a quiet day - a little too quiet! I hadn't had a single challenger all day! I put down my magazine, and decided to take a little walk. "Come on, Flamefox and Firestorm!" I said to my fire foxes, and they got up and followed me outside. We walked to the Pokemon Center, and I heard Nurse Joy's familiar voice say, "Good afternoon, Joe, Flamefox, and Firestorm!" I replied, "Hi, Nurse Joy!" She asked, "So what brings you here?" I answered, "Boredom! I haven't had a challenger all day! Has it been that slow here, too?" She replied, "Actually, no! I've been pretty busy! And I think it may be related to why things are so slow for you! I keep getting junior trainers with fire Pokemon that are badly beaten up! In fact..." Before she could continue, a boy burst through the door, carrying his Charmander. "Nurse Joy, you've got to help him! We took on this really strong trainer and her Pokemon gave my Charmander a real beating!" Just then, 2 more junior trainers ran in, a boy with a Flareon and a girl with a Growlithe. They said, "Nurse Joy, our fire Pokemon were beaten up bad! Please help them!" I looked at Flamefox and Firestorm, then looked back at the kids. I asked them, "Were all of you defeated by the same trainer?" The first boy that arrived answered, "I was on my way to challenge the Crimson Town Gym leader, when this girl named Mickey challenged me! She insisted on battling a fire type, and she was tough!" The other boy and girl said, "Yeah, she said her name was Mickey! Now we can't challenge the Crimson Town Gym leader, either!" I was a little steamed - whoever this Mickey was, she was taking business away from my gym! I then told the kids, "Well, I'm the Crimson Town Gym leader, Joe! If you tell me where I can find this Mickey, there's free ice cream for all of you!" They all got excited, and the girl answered, "She's just outside of town! She's been challenging every trainer that comes through with a fire Pokemon, insisting that they battle! She's obsessed with battling fire types!" I was quite angry that this girl was defeating my potential challengers before they could reach me. I decided to take matters into my own hands and nip this thing in the bud! I was going to search her out and find out just how tough she really was!

After Nurse Joy had treated all the kids' Pokemon, she advised all of them to let their Pokemon rest for a day or 2 before battling them again. Flamefox, Firestorm, and I walked the kids over to the gym, and around the back to the breeding center and Pokemon sanctuary, where May was. She asked, "Well, who do we have here?" I said, "These junior trainers were all defeated by some girl who's harassing every trainer that enters town. I promised them all ice cream if they told me where I could find her, and now, I'm going to look for her and put her in her place!" May said, "Well, good luck, Joe! Give her hell!" The kids all snickered at that remark, and May said, "You kids didn't hear me say that, okay? Now come on - let's get you all some ice cream!" At that, I said, "Come on, Flamefox and Firestorm! We have some competition to pummel!"

We headed for the outskirts of town, near the Brushfire Woods. I saw a person standing up ahead, overlooking the view of the vast forest, and I said, "Nice view, isn't it?" The person turned around, and she was an older girl, with blue hair and a pink helmet. I said, "I'm looking for a Pokemon trainer named Mickey! I don't suppose you've seen her." Her eyes lit up as she eyed my Vulpix and Ninetales and exclaimed, "I'm Mickey! I'd love to battle your Vulpix or Ninetales! I'm trying to only battle trainers with fire types!" I said, "So you're the one who's sending junior trainers into town with badly beaten fire Pokemon!" She said, "That's right! Care to try your luck?" I replied, "I would LOVE to battle you!" She said, "All right!" and took out her pokeball. "Go, Skarmory!" she shouted, releasing the steel bird from his pokeball. I laughingly asked, "A Skarmory?!? That's what you've been using? It's either a very strong Skarmory, or every junior trainer in Johto has VERY weak fire Pokemon!" She said, "I'm trying to get Skarmory to overcome his weakness to fire types!" I replied, "Well, you've got your work cut out for you! Skarmory's a steel type, which is extremely weak to fire!" She said, "Well, I've been undefeated here all day!" I replied, "That's because you havn't battled me yet! Flamefox, let's get this over with!" He answered, "Vulpix!" as he took a battle-ready stance. Then I ordered, "Flamefox, use flamethrower!" He launched his stream of flames from his mouth at the airborne Skarmory. Mickey yelled, "Use agility, Skarmory, and dodge those flames!" He did so, avoiding Flamefox's attack! Then she shouted, "Use steel wing!" Skarmory flew down towards Flamefox and I shouted, "Flamefox, watch out! Use YOUR agility!" He ran back and forth in a blur, but her Skarmory was fast and the steel wing hit Flamefox! He was knocked over, but rolled and stood back up! Skarmory circled around for another attack. "Hit him with another steel wing, Skarmory!" she shouted. I commanded, "Flamefox, use confuse ray!" My Vulpix's eyes grew black and the confuse ray, emenating from his eyes, hit Skarmory! Skarmory crashed to the ground and started flapping around aimlessly! "Skarmory!" Mickey shouted. I yelled, "Very good, Flamefox! Now finish it with fire spin!" Flamefox's entire body glowed, and now his eyes glowed bright white as he released the tornado of flames from his mouth! The flames wrapped around the confused Skarmory! Once they dispersed, he fell over on his back, defeated! Mickey shouted, "No! Skarmory, return!" and recalled him to his pokeball. "Good job, Flamefox!" I said, and my Vulpix leapt into my arms. Mickey said, "Wow, you're the strongest trainer I've battled so far!" I said, "Well, I hate to tell you this, but I'm not a trainer! I'm Joe, the Crimson Town Gym leader!" She nearly choked as she asked, "You're a gym leader?" I said, "That's right, sugar, and if you think you're ready to battle that Skarmory in a real gym battle, think again! You've got a long way to go!" She asked, "So why did you come looking for me?" I answered, "Well, you ARE a strong trainer, and your Skarmory was kicking the butts of all those junior trainers' fire Pokemon! But the thing is, they're all coming to Crimson Town to challenge me, and you're taking business away from me. I know you want to train your Skarmory to be stronger, but could you please do it elsewhere?" She answered, "I'm sorry. I wasn't aware that I was being such a nuicance! As soon as I bring Skarmory to a Pokemon center, I'll head back closer to home and challenge the trainers who pass near my house." I said, "That's okay. Now come on. I'll walk you to the Crimson Town Pokemon Center."

When we arrived, May was there, with Amber, talking to Nurse Joy, and I introduced everyone. "This is Mickey, the girl who's been challenging all the trainers with fire Pokemon to battle her Skarmory." Nurse Joy said, "Well, you sure are a strong trainer - all those junior trainers' fire Pokemon were pretty badly beaten!" Mickey said, "Despite all that, Joe has shown me that I still have a long way to go before I'm ready for a real gym battle!" She put Skarmory's pokeball down on the counter, and Nurse Joy took him into treatment. May said, "Well, don't worry! I'm sure you'll get Skarmory strong enough for gym battles if you keep pummelling junior trainers the way you are." Mickey said, "Thanks!" I then said, "And when you're ready, I'm open to a re-match!" After a while, Nurse Joy came out with Skarmory's pokeball and said, "He should be as good as new in a few days. Until then, you'd better let him rest." Mickey replied, "Thanks" and took the pokeball. She then said to me, "Well, thank you for the experience! I'll be sure to train Skarmory even harder in the weeks ahead!" May and I both said, "Good luck!" as she left the Pokemon center. May said, "I really can't believe her Skarmory beat all those fire types!" I said, "Well, they were all junior trainers! There's no way that Skarmory could beat a gym leader's fire Pokemon, though! Not without a LOT more experience! But I feel sorry for any junior trainers with fire Pokemon that cross her path!" With that, May and I, along with our fire foxes, walked back to our gym/breeding center. With Mickey no longer challenging all the trainers, I finally got my first few challengers of the day!


	3. A Sneasel of a Different Color

"A Sneasel of a Different Color"

(This is the story of a most unique experience that May and I, and our friend, Martin, the son of Mahogany Town Gym leader, Pryce, had the good fortune of being able to witness. It's something a Pokemon breeder doesn't get to see everyday…)

It started out a normal enough day at the Crimson Town Gym/Breeding Center/Pokemon Sanctuary. I'd had my first few challengers of the day. A couple of them were pretty strong and scored some badges from me, but the other 5 trainers needed a lot of work! Anyway, I was walking back to my gym from the Pokemon Center, accompanied by Flamefox and Firestorm, when I heard a motorcycle approaching. The driver wore a leather jacket. I could see that the motorcycle had a side cart, and in it, there was a Sneasel, holding a pokeball. "It couldn't be…" I thought to myself. Suddenly, the motorcycle came to a screeching halt in front of my gym, which sent the pokeball flying out of the Sneasel's hands. The driver leapt from his motorcycle and landed on the ground on his back, catching the pokeball in his hands. My fire foxes and I ran over, and I shouted, "Are you okay?" The driver took off his helmet, and it was Martin, from the Ice Cave! "I'm just fine!" he replied. "Martin, I thought it was you! What are you doing here?" I asked him. He looked very upset and said, "I need to see May! There's a problem with Kat!" He handed the pokeball back to Slash, Kat's mate, who was riding in the side cart. I said, "Well, come around the back! May is in the breeding center." Martin and I, along with Slash, Flamefox, and Firestorm, ran behind the gym, where May was outside with Amber, Fierymane, and her Growlithe, Redfur, as well as my Tauros. When she saw Martin, she asked, "Martin, Slash, what are you guys doing here?" Martin said, "May, I need your help. Kat is pregnant, but something is wrong with her." May said, "Well, bring her inside and I'll take a look at her. But if you think something is wrong, why didn't you just bring her to Nurse Joy in Mahogany Town?" He said, "Nurse Joy couldn't figure out what was wrong. I decided to come to you, since you are such an experienced breeder, and see if you can figure out what's wrong."

We entered May's breeding center building, and Martin released Kat from her pokeball, which Slash had been holding, May examined her on her examination table. As she lay on the table, it was clear to see she was in some kind of pain, but not from labor. May said, "It's a good thing you brought her here in her pokeball. That long ride might have been too much stress for her." Martin said, "That's what I figured. I didn't want to put her under any more stress." Then May said, "I don't see anything out of the ordinary. But let me try giving her some healing herbs and see if they help." Then she pulled me aside and said, "This might take a while, Joe. Try to get his mind off her. Talk to him, battle him – just do something. I'll let you guys know if there is any improvement!" Then we both approached the table where Kat was, with Martin and Slash standing by her, and I said, "Come on, Martin! It's been a while! Let's get caught up. I'll show you the gym." He said, "I really think I should stay here with Kat." May said, "I'll let you know if her condition improves. Now go on!" Martin said, "Okay. But Slash will stay with her." Amber came over to Slash and patted him on the shoulder to reassure him.

Martin and I, along with my fire foxes, entered my gym. I turned my sound system on and put on a CD. I asked Martin, "So, how are things in Mahogany?" He answered, "Oh, same old, except for my being famous for discovering and breeding Sneasels now. Despite that, I still have to train to take over my father's gym someday." I said, "Really? Pryce is retiring?" He answered, "Not yet, but probably in a few more years. In the meantime, I'm required by League rules to have an official gym battle at my father's gym once a week. I only lost once in the past month!" I said, "That's great!" He said, "Yeah, but I also have to train my Pokemon with my father, as if they need it! And, I have to catch at least 2 ice types before I can take over the gym. But, of course, I've already done that! One of the best things about being a gym leader's son is that I can have as many Pokemon with me as I want, not just 6!" I said, "Yeah, I love that, too. Sometimes 6 just doesn't cut it! Well, I'm sure you'll make a great gym leader someday!" I then decided to ask him, "Martin, there's something I wondered for a long time." He asked, "What is it?" I asked him, "Was it you who followed us during our journey through Kanto, when we were near Sabrina's gym? We heard something, and saw Sneasel tracks, but when I asked you a long time ago, you said it wasn't you." He kind of put his head down, and confessed, "Yes. I was following both of you. I was concerned for both of you. Sabrina and Giovanni are dangerous people. Well, Sabrina was until that kid, Ash, helped her, but at the time, I don't think you realized the danger you were putting yourself in." I said to him, "Thanks, Martin. You are a true friend." Then he said, "You know, it's been a while since we last battled. And I'd sure like to battle a gym leader other than my father for once!" I replied, "I thought you'd never ask!"

I stood on my side of the battle arena with Flamefox and Firestorm. Martin pulled out his first pokeball. "I choose Tyranitar!" he exclaimed, and released the large, rock/dark dinosaur-like Pokemon. I said, "In that case, I choose Dragonite!" and released my large, orange flying dragon. "Tyranitar, use dynamic punch!" Martin ordered. "Dragonite, use your agility to avoid it, then use wing attack!" I responded. My Dragonite was fast, and he flew out of the way, avoiding the punch, then quickly flapped his wings, sending powerful g-forces at Tyranitar, which pinned him to the wall with a crash! "Tyranitar, use screech!" Martin shouted. Tyranitar let out and ear-shattering sound, which lowered Dragonite's defense, and then Martin shouted, "Use crunch!" Tyranitar tackled my Dragonite, and held him down, crunching him with his powerful arms. "Dragonite, use slam!" I shouted. Dragonite turned the tides of battle, and slammed Tyranitar against the floor! "Good work, Dragonite!" I shouted. "Tyranitar, use thrash!" Martin ordered. Tyranitar came at Dragonite, thrashing his large body and tail around, hitting Dragonite with several blows, before he became confused. "Now, Dragonite, use surf!" I shouted. Dragonite caused the water from my pool, which I had opened earlier, and launched it at Tyranitar! He was hit full force, and, being part rock-type, severely weakened. "Tyranitar, use hyper beam!" Martin shouted. He launched the attack, but Dragonite easily avoided it, since Tyranitar was still confused. Now Tyranitar was really vulnerable, and I said, "Dragonite, use slam!" Dragonite flew at Tyranitar full speed, and slammed him against the wall! He was defeated! Martin recalled his Tyranitar and said, "Hey, your Dragonite was very impressive! Clair would be proud!" I laughed and said, "You're Tyranitar was pretty impressive, too!" Then I recalled Dragonite and said, "Next up, I choose Stantler!" and released my deer-like Pokemon. Martin said, "I choose Gyarados!" and released the large, water snake Pokemon so it materialized in the pool. He said, "Are you sure you don't want to switch out Pokemon?" I replied, "This is one tough Stantler, so, I think I'll stick with him!" He replied, "Very well! Gyarados, use bite!" As his large water snake lunged at my Stantler, I shouted, "Stantler, use agility!" Stantler was fast, and ran out of the way in time, and I shouted, "Use hynosis!" He stared at Gyarados, and soon, Gyarados fell asleep! "Yes! Now stomp him, Stantler!" I shouted. Stantler ran up to Gyarados and stomped his large body with his front hooves, knocking him down. "Come on, Gyarados! Wake up!" Martin shouted. "Stantler, use take down!" I ordered. Stantler ran at Gyarados full speed and struck him, hard! At that, Gyarados woke up, and stood upright in the pool! "That's more like it! Now use dragon rage, Gyarados!" Martin commanded. Gyarados launched the attack at Stantler and knocked him down! "Stantler, use double team!" I ordered. Stantler made it appear that there were several of him, like he'd done to me and my Pokemon before we caught him in the Ilex Forest. "Gyarados, use thunder!" Martin commanded. Gyarados launched the powerful electric attack, and despite his mind trick, Stantler was hit, the wet floor only intensifying the attack! Stantler was defeated. I ran over to my worn out Stantler and petted him, saying "You did good! We'll train harder for your next battle" and I recalled him. Then I asked to Martin, "What do you think? One more round?" He recalled Gyardados and said, "Yeah, I'm up for it." I said, "Good, because I have a surprise for you!" At that, I tossed my next pokeball, and it opened to reveal my Sneasel, the one Martin had given me 5 years ago in the Ice Cave! He said, "Hey, that's the Sneasel I gave you!" I replied, "Yeah, I thought you might like to see how good a battler he's become." He said, "Well, I have a surprise for you, too!" and he tossed a pokeball, shouting, "Go, Tails!" The ball opened to reveal a Ninetales, with a pink bow in the hair on her head! I exclaimed, "Is that the Vulpix May and I gave you? You evolved her!" Flamefox ran up to her and Firestorm, her uncle, was nose to nose with her. Then Martin asked, "Is it okay if Flamefox and Firestorm leave the room for this battle? I don't want them to see Tails get hurt." I raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, if it makes you feel better." Then I said, "Flamefox, Firestorm, go see how May is doing." They nodded, then left the room. Then I commanded, "Sneasel, use slash!" Martin ordered, "Tails, use dig!" His Ninetales burrowed under the floor, and Sneasel's attack missed! Then I shouted, "Sneasel, use your agility!" My Sneasel ran around in a blur, and when Martin's Ninetales shot up from the ground, her attack missed! "Sneasel, use shadow ball!" I shouted. He manifested a ball of dark energy between his 2 hands, then thrust it at Tails! Tails leapt out of the way of the attack, and it burst into the wall instead! "Tails, use flamethrower!" Martin shouted. Tails launched an intense volley of flames at Sneasel, but he managed to jump out of the way. Then we both shouted, "Use hyper beam!" I think Martin was surprised that I said that, not expecting my Sneasel to know it! They both launched the attack, and their attacks collided, creating a huge explosion! Tails and Sneasel were both thrown back against opposite walls, as were Martin and I. When the smoke cleared, there was a big hole in the floor. Martin held his Ninetales, and I held my Sneasel. Both were pretty well beaten up. "I call this last battle a draw!" I exclaimed. "Agreed!" Martin said. We each recalled our Pokemon. Then Martin said, "Sorry about the floor!" I replied, "I've had worse! Holes burned through the walls, lights destroyed by electric attacks, water damage – let's just say that half of the money we make ends up paying for gym repairs!" Just then, May and Amber entered the room. "Are you guys all right?" she asked. I said, "Yeah, we're okay. How's Kat?" She replied, "That's what I came out here to tell you. Kat is doing just fine now. The herbs seem to have helped." Martin said, "Thank you so much, May! Can I go see her now?" She answered, "Sure, go ahead!" We all re-entered the room in May's breeding center where Kat was sitting up, with Slash. "You had me really worried, Kat!" Martin said, petting his Sneasel. May said, "The baby should be due anytime soon. I suggest you keep her here until after it's born." He said, "I will." After petting Kat for a while and giving her a hug, Martin said, "I'm going next door to the Pokemon Center to have my Pokemon checked out. Want me to bring yours while I'm at it?" I answered, "Yeah, thanks, Martin!" and gave him the 3 pokeballs.

Shortly after he left, Kat began to act strangely again. "Something's happening, Joe! Go get Martin!" May exclaimed. I ran next door with Flamefox and Firestorm. I heard Nurse Joy saying, "Here you go. Let them rest for a while before battling them again, and tell Joe to do the same with his" as she handed Martin the pokeballs. I ran in and yelled, "Something's happening to Kat!" Martin said, "But she was fine just a few minutes ago!" I said, "Nurse Joy, you better come, too!" We all ran back to the breeding center, and could see that Kat was clearly in pain – but this time, it was the pain of labor! "She's going to give birth any minute, but something is different!" May exclaimed. We all waited, and soon, Kat had a baby Sneasel – but it was different! It was pink, with blue tails! May cleaned it off with a towel, and both she and Nurse Joy examined it, completely perplexed by it's strange coloration! "I can't believe it – a pink Sneasel!" May exclaimed. Nurse Joy said, "I've heard of this before, but it's very rare. They're called 'shiny' Pokemon." Martin said, "I've heard of that, too. But how did this happen?" Nurse Joy replied, "No one's really sure. It's a very rare occurrence. You're just very lucky, I guess." May said, "Kat is fine now, Martin! Completely back to her normal self!" He replied, "Thank goodness!" and watched while Kat held her new baby and Slash stood with them. "Come up with a name, Martin?" I asked him. He said, "Yeah, I'm going to call her Rose." Nurse Joy and May examined Kat and Rose once more, just to make sure they were okay, and both agreed that they were perfectly healthy. "I guess Kat just had to go through a few extra labor pains to give birth to such a special Pokemon" May told Martin.

Martin and his Sneasels stayed around for a few more days so Professor Oak and Professor Elm could stop by and see his new rare Sneasel. After he left, May and I returned to business as usual, both of us glad to have witnessed the birth of such a rare Pokemon, and glad to have a good friend like Martin.

(This was written in collaboration with my then good online friend, glacierspyke, who also collaborated with me on several "JTD" chapters. Martin is actually his character, which he developed for "JTD" because he was definitely my biggest fan, and wanted a part in it. Unfortunately, I lost contact with him years ago, but "JTD" and "CGC" definitely wouldn't have been the same without his input!)


	4. A Grand Reunion, A Date to Remember

"A Grand Reunion, A Date to Remember"

(This is a story about a big reunion party that Joseph and May had for all of the trainers, breeders, and gym leaders who got their Vulpixes from them. It takes place some time after the "Beauty and the Breeder" episode of the anime. It is also my first major attempt to not write in the first person perspective, so please bear with me…)

"Is everything ready for the party, Joe?" May asked. "I think so. I checked the sound system, all of the lights are working, and the decorations are all up. All we need now is the caterer with the food!" Joe replied. She said, "That's great! This is gonna be wild!" Joe responded, "Yeah, it'll be great to see how all of Flamefox's and Amber's kids have turned out!" Then Joe turned to Flamefox and Firestorm, and said, "I hope I can count on you guys to help out at the party a little bit, too!" Flamefox exclaimed, "Vulpix!" and Firestorm exclaimed, "Niiine!" May looked at Amber and said, "You, too! We all need to be gracious hosts and hostesses!" Amber exclaimed, "Vulpix!" Now they just needed to get dressed up before the guests began to arrive in just a few hours!

The first to arrive was Pryce's son, Martin, their good friend from Mahogany Town. He rode up on his motorcycle, clad in his leather jacket, and sporting a full beard. His Sneasels, Kat, Slash, and Rose, were in the side car! "Hi Martin!" Joe said to him as he dismounted from his motorcycle. "Hello! Look who came to visit!" he exclaimed, and opened 2 pokeballs – one released Tails, his Ninetales, and the other released his Umbreon, Dark Angel! May said, "They look great! You're doing an excellent job raising them!" Flamefox, already in his mini-tux, was sitting with Amber, who was dressed up in her mini-dress, complete with a pink bow in her hair, and Tails ran up to see her parents. Firestorm, also dressed in a mini-tux, stood with Inferno, who opted to only wear a pink bow in her hair, and Dark Angel ran up to her parents, too. It was such a cute family reunion already! May said, "We have a couple Pokemon here that have been waiting to see Kat and Slash, too!" At that, each of our Sneasels came out from the gym and ran over to see their parents! Martin said, "Your Sneasels are looking good, too! I knew you'd take good care of them!" Then May said, "You know, you're very early! The party doesn't start for a couple more hours." He replied, "I know. Plenty of time for me to find a hiding place." May rolled her eyes and said, "Same old Martin!" Joe said, "Yep!" Then Martin said, "I'm really grateful to you guys for inviting me! In fact, I brought a few things. For Flamefox, Firestorm, Amber, Inferno, I brought some special Pokemon food I made. And I brought enough regular Pokemon chow for all of the guests Pokemon. Of course, I brought a special treat for the Sneasels, too! But for you 2, I brought a special bottle of my father's Mahogany wine!" He handed them a bottle containing the blue colored wine. "Thanks, Martin!" I said. He replied, "You're welcome! I know you guys are a little young, but you can keep that in storage for a few years." Our Pokemon were all conversing together, as well. Kat and Slash were dressed up so cute – Slash wore a mini-tux with a bow tie, and Kat had a mini-dress and a rose on her ear. Dark Angel and Tails each wore a pink bow in their hair. Joe asked Martin, "Did you bring any of your other Pokemon?" He replied, "Oh, yeah!" and released Feraligatr, Tyranitar, and Persian. Feraligatr and Tyranitar each wore sunglasses and bow ties, while Persian just had the bow tie. Martin asked, "So, do you guys need any help setting up?" May answered, "No, everything's ready! The caterer arrived just a few minutes ago with the food." He said, "Great! I'll go hang out with my Pokemon out back, then, in the Sanctuary!"

When the other guests began to arrive, Martin hid in Joe's office with his Pokemon, so he could make a quiet entrance among the crowd. Joe and May met guests outside as they arrived, and led them to the gym, along with their Vulpix or Ninetales. May went into Joe's office to persuade Martin to come out and join the fun, so when Suzy and Zane arrived, Joe was outside to meet them, with Flamefox and Amber. "Hi Suzy, Zane! Long time no see!" Joe said. Suzy and Zane both said "Hi" as they walked over, Suzy's Vulpix walking beside her, and Zane's Ninetales walking beside him. Joe commented, "I see you got Vulpix back from Brock." She replied, "Yes, and just in time so that we could win a Pokemon beauty contest!" Her Vulpix and Zane's Ninetales ran up to their parents, and licked each other's faces. I said, "Well, come on inside and mingle with the other guests." Suzy noticed Martin's motorcycle and asked Joe, "Who's is that?" Joe answered, "That belongs to Martin Frost, the Sneasel breeder, not to mention the guy who discovered them in the first place!" Zane said, "Martin Frost is here? I've been wanting to meet him for a long time! We'll have to introduce ourselves!" Joe said, "Good luck! Martin is one of the most unsocial people I know! But hopefully, this party atmosphere will snap him out of it a little!" With that, Joe led them into the spacious gym, where all the other guest were with their Pokemon. Martin had finally come out of hiding, and sat at a table in a dark corner of the gym, avoiding all social contact, as usual, but not looking bad in his leather jacket and sweater. Tails was lapping a bowl of punch, while Kat and Slash were eating a special whipped cream and milk concoction with strawberries that Martin made for them – and Slash was feeding Kat all the strawberries! Dark Angel and Persian played with Rose, who could only chirp and squeak, not yet old enough to chim her name. She also enjoyed a special bowl of cream. Martin wanted the other Pokemon to watch Rose for a while so that Kat and Slash could have fun and enjoy the party. Feraligatr and Tyranitar stood, like bodyguards, near Martin. Martin looked around. All of the guests must have been here by now. Flamefox and Firestorm carried little trays on their heads, bringing hors d'oeuvres to the guests. On the dance floor, Rudy, one of the Orange Island gym leaders, was showing off his Ninetales' latest dance moves to Neesha and her Ninetales. Other people were dancing, too, including Joe and May. The Vulpixes and Ninetales were even mingling with each other. Everyone seemed to be having a great time! Suddenly, Tails began sniffing the air, and picked up a very familiar scent! Then she ran off! "Tails, come back!" Martin shouted, running after her! At the same time, Suzy was holding her Vulpix, when he began sniffing the air, and also picked up a familiar scent! He leapt out of her arms and ran off! "Vulpix, come back!" Suzy shouted after him. Vulpix and Tails ran to each other, each of them having picked up their sibling's familiar scent! They met, and started licking each other's faces, after having not seen each other since they were 6 months old! However, Suzy and Martin also both came running, and since both of them were focused on their fire foxes, they didn't see each other – and they slammed into each other, knocking each other onto the floor! Martin said, "Hey! Watch where you're go…" and then he looked at Suzy and continued, "…ing. Um… hi!" Suzy said, "I'm sorry! My Vulpix went running, and I ran after him! I should have watched where I was going." Martin said, "That's okay. The same thing happened with my Ninetales." He stood up and said, "Here, let me help you up" and reached his arm out, and helped Suzy get up off the floor. She asked him, "You got your Ninetales from Joe and May, too?" He answered, "Yeah. I take it you got your Vulpix from them. I guess the 2 of them were so excited to see each other again, that they just couldn't wait!" Joe walked over from dancing with May and said, "I see you two bumped into each other." Suzy said, "Literally!" Then Joe said, "Martin, this is Suzy, formerly of Scissor Street in Celadon City, but now she owns a breeding center in Johto. Suzy, this is Martin Frost, the Sneasel breeder." She said, "This is a real pleasure! We've read a lot about you, and Zane really wants to talk to you." He asked, "Who is Zane?" She said, "My business partner. He's sitting at that table over there! Come on, you have to meet him!" She brought him over to the table to meet Zane. The usually unsocial Martin seemed quite comfortable talking to Suzy, but was definitely still anxious around Zane. But they all seemed to hit it off, and later, Martin was even dancing with her. Later, when dinner was served, all the guest's Pokemon enjoyed the food Martin brought, especially Flamefox, Firestorm, Amber and Inferno, who got the special food he had made for them. Joe made sure he credited Martin for bringing all the Pokemon food. The catered dinner for everyone was a huge success and everyone really enjoyed themselves. After that, the party went pretty late into the night, as guests and Pokemon mingled. As everyone left later on, they each told Joe and May what a great time they had. Suzy said she'd be back in the morning to get some breeding supplies she needed from May.

The next morning, Joe was in his office, having his morning cup of coffee. Flamefox lay on the desk, and Firestorm was asleep on the floor. They still had to clean up inside the gym so Joe could accept challengers again! Martin had stayed overnight, and entered Joe's office, all clean shaven! "Martin, you shaved!" Joe exclaimed. He said, "Yeah, I wanted to look good!" Joe asked, "For what?" as he sat down behind his desk and sipped his coffee. Martin said, "I'm in love! I'm gonna ask Suzy out!" Joe replied, "Oh, come on, Martin! She wouldn't be interested in you!" As Joe chugged down the rest of his coffee, Suzy entered his office and Martin asked, "Suzy, would you go out with me?" She just looked at him, a little surprised, then said, "Why of course, Martin! I'd love to go out with you!" At that, Joe did a spit take as he nearly choked on his coffee! As he was coughing, Suzy asked him, "Are you okay, Joe?" As soon as he finished coughing, he asked, "What about you and Zane?" She replied, "Oh, we're just business partners! We've known each other since we were about 4 years old and we grew up together, in the same neighborhood! He's like a brother to me! I couldn't possibly go out with him! It just wouldn't feel right." Martin asked her, "How does this evening sound?" She answered, "That's fine." Then she asked Joe, "Is May around? I need to pick up those supplies!" He answered, "Yeah, she's around back, in the breeding center!" Suzy said, "Oh, I should have guessed that! Well, I'll see you tonight, Martin!" and she walked out of Joe's office. "Wouldn't be interested in me, huh?" Martin said to Joe, as he wiped up his coffee with a paper towel.

That evening, Martin and Suzy met by the Brushfire Woods, and decided to take a long walk, deep into the woods. Suzy's Vulpix and Martin's Ninetales had stayed behind to hang out with their parents for a while, and Martin let his other Pokemon out to play in Joe and May's Pokemon sanctuary. They were completely alone! They walked for a few hours, holding hands and talking, enjoying the vast beauty of the seemingly endless woods. He even picked some wild flowers for her. "Joe told me that he got Flamefox and Firestorm from these woods. What do you think the chances are we'll run into some of their family?" Martin asked. Suzy replied, "Oh, I don't think so, Martin. You know how shy wild Vulpixes are. That's why very few are ever caught. They're very good at hiding!" They unknowingly passed the exact same pond that Joe had seen Flamefox drinking out of the day Flamefox chose to follow him on his Pokemon journey, and they were now walking in the same direction that Joe had chased Flamefox before he slammed into the tree with the Beedrill nest! Then they both noticed a Butterfree fluttering about. "It's beautiful!" Suzy exclaimed. "You like it? I'll catch it for you!" Martin said. At that, he took out a pokeball and tossed it in the air. The pokeball opened and engulfed the Butterfree! The ball bounced off a tree, and ended up in Martin's palm! "Good catch!" Suzy said. "Here" he said, handing her the pokeball. All of a sudden, four Kakunas dropped down from the tree that the pokeball had bounced off of! "Those… are… Kakunas!" Martin nervously said. Suzy said, "Oh, don't worry. It could be worse!" Suddenly, there was a loud, incessant buzzing! "It's worse!" he said. Yes, they had disturbed the exact same Beedrill nest that Joe had disturbed when he chased Flamefox! "Did you bring any Pokemon?" Martin asked her. She answered, "No! Did you?" He answered, "No! Run!" At that, they both ran away and the Beedrill swarm gave chase! They dodged branches, jumped over rocks and logs, but the Beedrill swarm kept up with them! Then, one of the Beedrills came up close to Suzy, but before it could sting her, Martin jumped in front of her and took the attack for her! "Martin!" Suzy shouted. "I'll be okay!" he shouted out, in pain. He tried to run further, but fell down, the poison from the sting entering his system. The Beedrill swarm just hovered above the 2 of them. "Suzy, go, run! Don't worry about me!" She said, "I'm not leaving you!" and put herself between him and the Beedrill. The swarm then began to swoop down, and Suzy braced herself! Suddenly, out of nowhere, they heard a loud "Vulll!" and a flamethrower attack came out of nowhere! Then another, and another! About 7 or 8 Vulpixes came out from the brush! The Beedrills that hadn't been knocked out retreated back to their hive! The Vulpixes surrounded Suzy and Martin. Suzy said, "Thank you!" They nodded. Martin weakly asked, "But why? Why did they help us?" Suzy said, "They must have picked up their relatives' scent on us!" Then she said, "Thank you again, all of you! But I really need to get Martin out of here in a hurry!" The Vulpixes began to call out, "Vulllpix! Vull vulpix!" Suddenly, 2 wild Stantlers came running from out of nowhere and stopped in front of Suzy and Martin. "Vul vulpix!" one of the wild Vulpixes said to Suzy, motioning for her to get onto the Stantler's back, as she propped Martin up. "Thank you!" she said to the Vulpix, not knowing that he was Flamefox's and Firestorm's father, and the others were their mother and various aunts and uncles. Then she asked Martin, "Do you think you can hang onto the Stantler?" He replied, "I think so. But we have to hurry!" She helped him get onto a Stantler's back, and she got onto the other one. The Stantlers ran Suzy and Martin quickly in the direction of Crimson Town. Joe and May were outside with their fire foxes and ran over as the Stantlers dashed out from the woods, with their passengers. "What happened?" May asked. "Long story! We have to get Martin some antidote!" Suzy replied. Martin lost his grip on Stantler, and almost fell to the ground, but Suzy caught him. They brought him inside for treatment, and thanked the Stantlers for their help.

Later on, while he lay in bed, Kat, Slash and Rose visited with him. He was going to be just fine, but needed a good night's rest. Suzy went in his room to see him, along with Vulpix and Tails. "Heck of a first date, huh?" he asked her. She said, "It wasn't so bad… until the Beedrill part, anyway." He said, "I promise I'll make it up to you. We could go out on another date tomorrow." She said, "That would be wonderful. But for now, you better get some rest." Martin went to sleep, content with the knowledge that he finally found someone he really cared about. Their next date went much better, and they decided to continue seeing each other on a regular basis.

(This was yet another collaboration with glacierspyke, aka Martin. He wanted his character and Suzy to become an item, so I complied. Most of this story was his idea).


	5. A Crimson Gym Chronicles Christmas

A "Crimson Gym Chronicles" Christmas

(This story takes place sometime after "A Grand Reunion, A Date to Remember")

Christmas Eve in Crimson Town. The outside of the gym/breeding center was all decorated with lights, which ran on a computer Simon had programmed. Even though he primarily maintained the gym, breeding center and sanctuary computers, Simon still found the time to do things like this, which is another reason May and I were glad to have him on staff. I was in my office, with Flamefox and Firestorm, preparing to leave. May and I had been invited by Martin to spend Christmas Eve at his cabin, in the meadow behind the Ice Cave. The gym and breeding center would be closed until we got back, but everything was left in Simon's and Trevor's capable hands. May entered my office, accompanied by Amber. "Are you almost ready? It's getting late" she asked. I replied, "Yeah, I just wanted to make sure everything is taken care of before we go." She said, "Don't worry about it. Trevor will take good care of the Pokemon, like he always does, and Simon will make sure everything stays in running order in the building." I nodded and said, "You're right. Okay then, I'm ready. Let's go!" We returned a few of our Pokemon to their pokeballs to bring with, including Flamefox, Amber, Firestorm, Inferno, Refur, Fiona, and some others.

We walked to the sanctuary, where Trevor was waiting with his Rapidash. "We're heading out now, Trevor. Take good care of everyone." He answered, "Will do! Have fun, guys!" May and I said, "Thanks!" and we summoned Fearow and Pidgeot. Simon walked out of the building and said, "I see you guys are off. Have fun at Martin's". May said, "We will." I said, "If there are any problems, call me." Simon replied, "Don't worry, everything will be fine here. Enjoy your Christmas!" I said, "Thanks, you guys, too!" With that, May flew off on Pidgeot's back, and I flew off on Fearow's back. It wasn't too long of a flight to Martin's, just a couple hours. We could see the landscape turn from a grassy green to snow and ice as we flew over Mahogany Town. We flew over the Ice Cave, and could see a small wooden cabin, covered with snow, and with lots of Christmas lights, with smoke coming from the chimney. There was also a snowman outside. "There it is! Take us down, Fearow!" I exclaimed. May said, "You too, Pidgeot!" They each flew us down, and we landed in Martin's yard. I said, "Thanks, Fearow!" and recalled him, and May did the same with Pidgeot. I released Flamefox, Firestorm, and Inferno, and May released Redfur, Fiona, and Amber. They didn't particularly enjoy being in Pokeballs, as we hardly ever kept them inside of them anymore, but for trips where we had to fly on our Pokemon, they didn't mind it. I asked, "Happy to be out of there, guys?" Flamefox happily responded, "Vulpix!" and Firestorm replied, "Nine!" and they both leaned against me. Amber leapt into May's arms to lick her face. Suddenly, Martin's Golbat came flying towards me, and I held out my arm. He perched on my arm, and I asked, "What is it?" There was a note attached to his foot. I took it off, and he flew away. May asked, "What does it say?" I answered, "It's a password for a keypad." May asked, "What keypad?" Golbat flew around us, indicating for us to follow him. He led us to the door, and there was a hidden keypad next to it. I said, "I guess this must be the code to get in" and I punched in the numbers. The door opened, and inside were Martin and Suzy. "Glad you could make it" Martin said. I replied, "Thanks for inviting us." Suzy said, "It's good to see you guys again" and May replied, "Good to see you, too." Martin said, "Make yourselves at home." We entered the next room, where there was a fireplace, chairs, a couch, a Christmas tree, and decorations. Kat, Slash and Rose were asleep near the fireplace in the chairs, and Dark Angel, Tails, and Suzy's Vulpix were asleep on the couch. Suzy's Vulpix and Tails, both litter mates from Flamefox and Amber's first litter, awoke, and ran to see their parents, while Dark Angel, who was one of the Eevee pups from Firestorm and Inferno's first litter, ran to see her parents, too. May said, "Suzy, your Vulpix is looking really great. You're taking really good care of him." I said, "And Tails and Dark Angel look good, too! Good job raising them, Martin." They both thanked us, and we sat down to socialize, while our Pokemon also mingled. Later, Martin suggested a battle. We went outside, and I battled my Gyarados against Martin's Cloyster. Cloyster kept using withdraw quite effectively, and Gyarados' bite and dragon rage attacks did no good. Finally, when Cloyster opened to use Aurora Beam, I had Gyarados hit it with hyper beam, and he knocked it out! Martin said, "Not bad! You've still got it, Joe!" I replied, "Yeah, but your Cloyster still put up quite a fight. May said, "Now it's our turn, Suzy!" Suzy said, "Right!" and released a Delibird! May said, "A Delibird! How cute! I haven't actually seen one until now, but I've read a lot about them!" May then released Clefairy. Clefairy attempted to hit it with double slap, but then Suzy announced, "Present!" and it threw a box at Clefairy, which exploded! Clefairy used double slap and then defense curl, but Suzy's Delibird kept hitting her with exploding presents until Clefairy just gave up. May said, "That was a good battle, Suzy! I've never seen Delibird's present attack before." Suzy said, "It's quite powerful, but your Clefairy still held out for a long time." After the battles, Martin said, "Let's go inside for some egg nog."

We reentered the cabin, and Martin poured all of us the drinks. While Martin and I were discussing Lance's latest victory, May and Suzy each smirked, then asked, "Could you refill our drinks?" Martin replied, "Sure" and I said, "You bet." As we headed for the kitchen, Martin was looking at the archway, and said, "Hey, that wasn't there before. What a nice plant." I looked around and asked, "Plant?" Martin pointed to the center of the archway and said, "Up there. The girls must have put it up." I looked up at the archway and my face paled. "That's… mistletoe." Martin asked, "What's mistletoe?" Before I could answer, May practically teleported over to me and kissed me, causing my face to turn beat red. Martin continued to stare at the mistletoe, completely oblivious to what it was, and Suzy snuck up on him and took him completely by surprise as she kissed him, causing him to turn even redder than I had! May and Suzy then high fived each other! I just let out a sigh, as did Martin, and we both said, "Girls!" Flamefox and Amber also began to lick each other's faces, as did Firestorm and Inferno, and Redfur and Fiona.

That evening, after dinner, we exchanged gifts. The Pokemon got toys and treats. Martin bought Suzy a necklace and I bought May a bracelet. Suzy got Martin some cologne and May got me a nice wall decoration for the gym. We then left cookies, milk, carrots, and apples out before we all went to bed for the night.

Around 2a.m., we all awoke to a sound coming from the roof. We ran to the living room and found a bunch of presents under the tree, and all the food gone. Suzy turned to Delibird and asked, "Did you do all this?" He shook his head. Suddenly, we heard the sound of hooves and looked out the window just in time to see St. Nick take off, flying away on his sleigh which was being pulled by 8 Stantlers and a shiny Rapidash in the front! "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" we heard him shout. We wished each other a Merry Christmas, then returned to bed, although I don't think any of us slept – we were all too excited, wondering what gifts we'd be opening in just a few hours.

(This story was completely glacierspyke's idea! I wrote this in December 2002).


	6. Molly's Unlikely Discovery

"Molly's Unlikely Discovery"

(This story takes place some time after the movie "Pokemon 3". Professor Spencer Hale, the Pokemon researcher who specializes in legendary Pokemon, decided to visit the Crimson Town Gym / Breeding Center / Sanctuary to compare his experience of the Unown with Joe's experience of the Unown several years prior. He brought along his 5 year old daughter, Molly, to visit as well.)

It was quite an important day for me at Crimson Town Gym. Renowned Pokemon Professor Spencer Hale would be stopping by to visit. He wanted to discuss his and Molly's experiences with the Unown that nearly destroyed his hometown of Greenfield, almost turning it into a crystalline wasteland. Having had experience with the Unown a few years back, he wanted to compare notes on our experiences. Molly often visited whenever Professor Hale had to go off on business or to archaeological digs. Molly loved to stop by, especially to visit with May. May was like the big sister that Molly never had! Anyway, we were experiencing some technical difficulties the day of the visit. "Simon, have you fixed it yet?" I asked my friend and computer programmer. He replied, "Not yet. I'm working on it! This is a very sophisticated system, you know." I said, "I'd really like for everything to be running smoothly before Professor Hale gets here!" He said, "I'll do my best. The main problem at the moment seems to be centering from the hidden sanctuary where the MechanPokemon stay. Right now, I can't guarantee the entrance will be hidden from sight." I said, "Well, that shouldn't be too much of a problem. We won't be going anywhere near that part of the sanctuary today anyway. Mostly we'll be in my office." I petted Flamefox and Firestorm, who were each at my side. Then May entered the mainframe room, with Amber, and asked, "How's it going?" I replied, "Simon thinks he'll have everything fixed pretty soon, but in the meantime, we'd better keep any visitors away from the part of the sanctuary where the MechanPokemon reside. The holographic projector that hides the secret entrance is down." She said, "I don't have anyone coming today since I'm babysitting Molly. And since you closed the gym for Professor Hale's visit, I don't think we have to worry about anything." Relieved, I said, "Good. I love having the MechanPokemon here, but I don't know how we'd ever explain them if someone did find out about them." With that, I returned to my office with my fire foxes, May returned to her breeding center with Amber, and Simon continued to work on the computer mainframe.

In the early afternoon, a limo pulled up in front of the gym building. May and I stood outside the gym entrance, with Flamefox, Firestorm, and Amber. The driver opened the back door, and Professor Hale emerged from the back seat. Then Molly came running out, accompanied by her Teddiursa, and ran excitedly towards us, shouting, "Aunt May!" She ran up to May, and nearly knocked her down with a hug. "Molly, it's good to see you again, too" May said, laughing. Teddiursa said, "Urs" and walked up to May, as well. "You're doing a good job raising Teddiursa, Molly! I think you're a natural born trainer!" May said. Professor Hale walked up to me and said, "It's good to see you again, Joe." I replied, "Likewise" and we shook hands. Then to May he said, "Thanks for agreeing to watch Molly for me. She really loves to visit here." May put her baseball cap on Molly's head and said, "It's no trouble at all! I love it when Molly is here to visit!" Molly laughed as May gave her a horsey-back ride on her shoulders. Professor Hale then said to me, "Let's get down to business." I nodded and said, "Let's go to my office." We walked down the hallway, and past the Phoenix Island armor, and I sat down behind my desk while Professor Hale sat in a chair on the other side of my desk, facing me. My fire foxes lay down on the floor next to my chair. I asked him, "So how would you describe your experience with the Unown?" He answered, "It's strange, I don't remember that much of it. I remember falling into an alternate dimension, and the next thing I remember, I was back in the real world again." I said, "That's a lot different from what happened to me. I actually had first hand contact with them. They came into my mind and spoke to me." He said, "As you know, Molly had a closer contact to them than I did. They actually created a world for her, with Entei as her father figure, and he granted her anything she wanted." I said, "It's odd, though, that they'd do that for her, but not for you." He said, "She even got to be a powerful Pokemon trainer – they created illusion Pokemon that were unbeatable. I believe you know Ash, Misty, and Brock. Well, even their Pokemon were no match for these illusion Pokemon the Unown created." I replied, "I know junior trainers who have more powerful Pokemon than Ash – but I know where you're coming from. The Unown I encountered did the same thing – they created illusion Pokemon that mine could not defeat. It wasn't until my Kadabra helped me to see through the illusion that we were able to beat them. But there were so many, that we were hopelessly outnumbered. Luckily diplomacy saved us in the end." He said, "The whole experience was a bit traumatic for Molly, but she's been doing better. Time will heal that wound." We continued to discuss our experiences for the rest of the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Molly helped May to take care of things in the breeding center while Teddiursa played with Amber. All of a sudden, the phone rang. May answered, and it was Nurse Joy. "May, something really important has come up! I really need your help with a problem I'm having with an angry Gyarados. Can you come right away?" May said, "I'm babysitting for Professor Hale. Is there any way this can wait?" Nurse Joy said, "I'm really afraid this Gyarados will hurt itself if I wait. You have such a way with Pokemon and seem to have a real knack for calming them down." May said, "All right. But I don't want to bring Molly, because this might be dangerous. Let me see what I can do." Nurse Joy said, "Okay, but please hurry." May said, "Molly, I need to help Nurse Joy with a Pokemon. I'll need you to stay here." Molly said, "Okay." May said, "It shouldn't take me too long. Now let me think – it's Trevor's day off, so he can't watch you. I guess Simon will have to keep an eye on you." She said, "Simon's boring. All he ever talks about is computers!" May said, "I know, sweetie, but it's only for a little while." Molly said, "Well, okay." May took Molly and Teddiursa to the mainframe room, where Simon was still working on the MechanPokemon sanctuary problem. "Simon, I really hate to disturb you, but something came up at the Pokemon Center, and I need you to watch Molly for me." He said, "Can't you get someone else? I'm really not very good with kids, and I'd like to finish fixing this bug!" May said, "Joe is busy with Professor Hale, and Trevor is off today. You're the only one here." He sighed and said, "Well, all right, but try to make it quick." May said, "I will. Thank you, Simon. I owe you one!" Then to Molly she said, "I'll be back real soon, okay?" Molly half smiled and said, "Okay." Simon said to Molly, "Please don't touch anything." Molly and Teddiursa played by themselves, until Simon said, "I think I solved the problem, but I'll have to go into the sanctuary to be sure. You'll have to come with me, Molly." She reluctantly followed him.

Simon, Molly, and Teddiursa walked into the Pokemon sanctuary behind the building, fairly close to the MechanPokemon's lair, which wasn't quite so hidden at the moment. Simon opened up a panel in the middle of a wooded area, and got to work. He said, "Stay close, Molly. This shouldn't take me too long." She boring replied, "I will." As Simon worked, Molly, who was now very bored, wandered around a bit. Simon was so caught up in his work that he forgot about her. As she and Teddiursa wandered, they watched the Pokemon who inhabited the sanctuary as they freely roamed. A Butterfree fluttered above, and they chased after it. Suddenly, they stopped, and saw a very out of place looking large metallic door in the middle of deep foliage and trees, in a very secluded part of the sanctuary. "What is that?" Molly asked Teddiursa. It shook it's head. The door was half opened. Molly said, "I wonder what's inside. Let's go look, Teddiursa!" The two of them entered the doorway, which led into a spacious area which was masked by thick foliage and trees. Meanwhile, Simon was still working at the panel nearby and said, "That should do it!" With that, the door closed, and the holographic projector came back online, hiding the door once again! Molly and Teddiursa heard the door slam shut behind them and ran back over to it! "Let us out!" Molly yelled. Simon closed up the panel and said, "Okay, Molly! I'm done. Let's go back to the building." She was nowhere in sight. "Molly?" he asked loudly. He looked around, calling "Molly". No reply. He then said, "Uh oh. I'm in for it now!" and ran back to the building as fast as he could, to check the surveillance cameras that ran throughout the sanctuary. Meanwhile, Molly and Teddiursa continued to walk ahead. There was nothing but very thick foliage and trees which blocked out the sky above, so it was a bit dark. "I'm scared" Molly said as she walked. Teddiursa held her hand and said, "Urss." She said, "I'm glad you're here with me, Teddiursa." There were no Pokemon in sight. Up ahead were more trees. Suddenly, Molly heard branches snapping! "Did you hear that, Teddiursa?" Molly asked nervously. All of a sudden, two large forms emerged from the shadows. Molly froze in fright as the two NIDOs stood before her and Teddiursa! Then a Charizard appeared and angrily asked, "How did you get in here?" An Arcanine then appeared and said, "Take it easy, MechanCharizard! She's just a child." Molly was scared, but Marc said, "There's nothing to fear." She nervously asked, "You… you can talk?" Marc answered, "Yes. My name is Marc. What is your name?" She said, "I'm Molly." Maury and Mel then came out of hiding and introduced themselves. Maury asked, "How did you get in here?" She answered, "Teddiursa and I found a doorway in the middle of the woods. We walked inside, but now we're trapped!" MechanCharizard said, "Great! This place is supposed to be well hidden! A fine thing if a little girl can find it and walk right in!" Marc said, "Would you please calm down, MechanCharizard. She's hardly a threat!" Then Marc said, "It's okay, Molly. Come with me. We won't hurt you." She and Teddiursa walked next to Marc. She said, "I've never met a talking Arcanine before! I met a talking Entei once." Marc replied, "Entei? He's a legendary Pokemon." She said, "My papa is an expert on legendary Pokemon! Have you ever met any?" He said, "We've met Suicune and Ho-oh." She said, "The Entei I met turned out to be an illusion created by the Unown, a strange species of Pokemon papa is studying." As she walked with him, she took out a candy bar and began to eat it. She asked Marc, "Do you want some?" He shook his head and said, "We don't need to eat, but thank you." She asked him, "How come you don't need to eat?" He answered, "We're mechanical Pokemon." She said, "You sure seem like a real Arcanine – well, except that you can talk." He laughed and said, "We were designed to look and feel exactly like real Pokemon, but our creators gave us artificial intelligence. Somehow, we became aware. Although we were created by evil individuals, we realized that their ways were wrong, so we turned on them and ran away. We met Joe and May, who helped us." Molly said, "I like Joe and May. May is really nice, and lets me help her in her breeding center." Molly then asked, "Can I ride on your back, Marc?" He said, "Of course you can, Molly" and he crouched down so that she could climb on. Then he said, "Hold on" as he ran her ahead. She laughed and said, "This is fun, Marc!"

Meanwhile, May returned to the building and found Simon in the surveillance camera room, which was full of TV moniters that showed every possible area of the sanctuary. "Where is Molly?" May asked him. A sweatdrop appeared on Simon's head and he replied, "She's here somewhere." May asked, "Somewhere?" He answered, "Well, somewhere in the Pokemon sanctuary." May angrily asked, "You mean to tell me that you lost her?!?" He said, "Well, technically no. I mean, she can't be outside of the sanctuary." May hit him, knocking him out of his chair and onto the floor! "Ouch!" he yelled. She then grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and picked him up. She said, "I trusted you to keep an eye on her! Now we're going into the sanctuary to find her before Professor Hale finds out!" Simon replied, "As soon as you stop choking me, I'll help!" She dropped him, and they both entered the sanctuary. May called several of her Pokemon over, including Amber, Clefairy, and Pidgeot. She instructed them to search for Molly on the ground, and for Pidgeot to search from the sky, while she rode on Fierymane's back. Simon called up his Magneton and Charizard. He instructed Magneton to search the grounds, too, while he flew on Charizard's back to search. Some of my Pokemon joined the search, as well, including Arcanine, Fearow, and Vaporeon.

Back inside the MechanPokemon lair, Molly took a nap while Marc and the others watched over her. "She sure is cute" Maury said. Mel asked, "Do you think we can keep her?" Marc shook his head and said, "Someone outside must be frantic with worry. As soon as she wakes up, we'll have to let someone know she's in here." MechanCharizard said, "What if she compromises our safety?" Marc gave him and angry glance and said, "She's just a little girl. You really need to lighten up, MechanCharizard." MechanCharizard walked up to her and watched her sleep. His usual negative attitude momentarily gave way to a half smile as he remarked, "She is a cute little girl" and he gently stroked her hair with his hand. Then he said, "You're right, Marc. I apologize for my attitude." Marc said, "It's okay, MechanCharizard. We had to live in fear for so long that your concern is understandable. But we don't need to live in fear anymore."

In the meantime, Simon, May, and the Pokemon had searched the entire sanctuary for Molly with no luck, so May and Simon returned to the camera room. "We've looked everywhere! I hope she's okay" May said, worried. Simon said, "This is all my fault! I'm just not good with kids." Just then, the video phone that was linked to the MechanPokemon lair rang. Simon answered it, "Hello?" Molly was on the other end, with Marc standing behind her. May and Simon just looked at the screen, mouths gaping. "Hi May and Simon! I just wanted to let you know I'm okay. Teddiursa and I got trapped inside a door in the middle of the sanctuary, but we met Marc, Maury, Mel, and MechanCharizard who helped us." May got herself together and said, "That's great, Molly! We were worried about you." Marc said, "Don't worry! We've been keeping an eye on her." May said, "We'll be there in a few minutes to get her. Thanks, Marc!" After the phone shut off, May angrily glared at Simon and asked, "How on earth did she ever get in there? I thought you needed a code to enter?" He said, "That bug must have opened the door when it shut off the holographic projector!" May said, "This is bad. No one is supposed to know about that hidden sanctuary."

May, Amber and Simon headed for the secluded part of the sanctuary, where the MechanPokemon lair was now once again hidden by the hologram. Simon and May walked through it, and Simon entered the secret code in the number pad by the door. It opened, and there stood Molly, Teddiursa, and the MechanPokemon. May hugged Molly and said, "Thank goodness! I was so worried about you!" Molly then turned to Marc and said, "I had a lot of fun! Can I play with you again sometime?" Marc answered, "You are welcome to visit us anytime, Molly." MechanCharizard said, "Yes. We hope you can stop by again." With that, the door closed back up, and May, Amber, Simon, Molly, and Teddiursa emerged from the hologram. May instructed Molly, "Please do not tell anyone about the MechanPokemon or their lair, okay Molly? Their presence here is a secret." Molly asked, "Why?" Simon said, "If people knew about them, bad people might come and hurt them." Molly said, "I don't want anyone hurting my friends. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

May, Amber, Simon, Molly, and Teddiursa walked back to the building just as Professor Hale and I walked outside, accompanied by Flamefox and Firestorm. Molly ran up to her father to hug him, and he asked her, "Are you having fun?" She answered, "We had lots of fun! And I met a talking Arcanine!" Professor Hale asked, "A talking Arcanine?" I gave a surprised glance at Simon and May, both of whom had sweatdrops on the sides of their heads. Then Molly said, "Oops, that was supposed to be a secret. Forget I said that." Professor Hale looked puzzled, and then laughed. "Kids have such great imaginations, don't they?" he asked. May and Simon both nervously laughed, and I looked at them strangely. Professor Hale then said, "Well, it's time to go home, Molly." She said, "Okay, papa. Can we visit again soon?" He said, "Of course you can, if it's okay with Joe and May." May said, "Molly is welcome here anytime." I agreed. Then they and Teddiursa returned to the limosine and it drove off. I asked, "So, what exactly happened while I was talking with Professor Hale?" May said, "It's a long story." I said, "Well, the gym is closed for the day, so my time is your time." I was quite unsettled after being informed of Molly's discovery of the MechanPokemon, but despite her minor slipup in front of her father that day, she did keep their existence a secret, and when she visited with us in the future, she was allowed to visit with the MechanPokemon, and always had a good time.


End file.
